Ends Well
by NCR Ranger
Summary: A snapshot of what Shepard has gotten what he so richly deserves after sending the Reapers to thier demise


1 Year after the Repaer Invasion

Backyard of Jerimiah Shepard's home

Asari world of Nevos

1st Reunion of Normandy SR-2's crew

20:45, local clock

* * *

" Joker! Hey, Jeff ! You _sure_ you're not up to arm wrestle ?! ", James mischievously taunted, a leering grin on his face.

He had to raise his voice to be heard over the thrumming echoes of the party's background noise- the overlapping chatter and laughter of over a dozen folks all engaged in socializing and being around those they were close to. That some of said folks were Krogan ( The bass laughter of the bulky giants that were Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Grunt, and of course, Urdot Bakara ) were some of the biggest contributors to all the racket, along with the booming volume of the song " of the mounted speakers strung up around the garden.

Stings of lights were dangled off the trees, giving plenty of illumination as the guests enjoyed themselves. There were drinks and food available for dextros and aminos alike, and everyone was taking full advantage of them.

Dr Chakwas, for example, had a stemmed glass of Virgin Pina Colada in one hand as she enthusiastically lectured her younger, redheaded counterpart Dr. Michel about when the former was The Resident at a hospital in Johannesburg, at the dawn of her medical career before joining the Alliance. A few yards away, Zaeed and Garrus were busily discussing plans for " Home Improvement " measures, while holding partially eaten kebabs in one hand.

Meanwhile, some of them- like James- had found other ways to amuse themselves; arm grappling contests with the _Normandy'_s helmsman, for example. Predictably, it had not gone well for said helmsman.

Grimacing in pain, the goatee'd pilot in question grasped his forearm and shook his head vehemently. " Not on your _life_, James ! You came this close to giving me compound fracture- from a _handshake_ ! "

With a throaty laugh, James reached out and clapped the pilot on the shoulder and squeezed lightly, automatically making the other man wince. "_ Relajarse ( _relax ), Jeff. You know I wouldn't _actually_ attempt to fracture your limbs. "

" You don't _have_ to even attempt to, ", Jeff grumbled sourly. " Your Rock Johnson-levels of strength will kill me one of these days, when we fist bump like men do, only you do it too _hard_, and it shatters my _whole hand_\- "

" Ey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger ! "

" That's what a masochist would say. Oh, wait, you're a Marine. All Marines are masochists by default. "

" Watch it, Jef. You're poking the bear here. ", James admonished, crossing both powerfull arms across his formidable pecs.

" You called yourself a bear. Well, _that_ explains a lot- "

And so, the verbal back and forth continued. As it had from day 1.

It was an example of the kind of razzing that went on between the men of the Normandy SR-2. They were more than a band of brothers; they were a clan, and this was normal for them. It was the first thing that any newcomer to the crew understood, and the first thing that they realized they had to embrace:

Never let go of the brighter side of life.

Everyone present at this shindig appeared to have embraced that; none of them _were_ rookies, or newcomers anyway. Some of them, like Garrus, Tali, or of course, Jeff, had been _Normandy _crew from the very beginning. Others, like James, or Traynor, had less experience and years under their belts, but they'd adapted, and earned their keep and place.

All of them _were_ the _Normandy_. The frigate was the most advanced vessel the galaxy had ever seen, but for all its technological excellence, that was all moot if it wasn't for the skilled, disciplined, and brave individuals that operated her, and gave her purpose.

They were the best of the best, and they deserved the best to lead them into action- and out of it too.

_Somehow, they think that's me. Well, that's humbling._

Sitting on a rocky wall that ran along the edge of a pond, directly across from the gathering , Jerimiah Shepard observed them living out their reward for stopping the Reapers:

Life.

_You all deserve what you're doing now. All of you._

_That's_ what he'd led them for. Victory, glory- they'd found those along the way, but the Reapers had been no ordinary enemy. They had not been out to " defeat ", or " conquer ", or " wear down " _their_ enemies. They'd come to the Milky Way to_ eradicate_, and to _erase life itself._

_They wanted to send us the way of the dinosaurs_

Sitting here, watching his crew in such a good mood, Jeremiah was reminded yet again that those damn machines had_ failed_. They had _failed_, in their asinine, Lovecraftian goals. None of their stregnth, or any of the incomparably grotesque monstrosities they'd brought with them ( or produced when they'd been here ) had been enough. They'd _failed._

_Every _last Reaper: Dead.

And, beating them wasn't even the real triumph of the galaxy's denizens. No, that would be not letting the Reapers make them give in to fear. Give in to hopelessness, despair, and misery.

Didn't his clan deserve to be so joyfull, after standing up to something as evil as the Reapers ? They'd stared into that endless abyss for long enough; now they could lift their heads up, and realize there was light after all.

_Damn, that was philosophical. But, its all I can come up with._

Jeremiah inhaled, then breathed out. He watched as Jeff shoved James, though the taller man barely moved, and laughed out loud.

_I've done a lot of thinking. A lot of it. And as much talking. Maybe there isn't much I can say, about everything. _

_So, I'll say and do something about what I've got now: A tomorrow- one that everyone I've ever met and fought on my ship and on my crew with was aiming for.  
_

_I live for them, as they lived for me. _

" Jeremiah ? "

Oh, of course. He wasn't _alone_ all out here, on this wall, obverving everything that was going on with _nobody_ around him.

Seated right beside him, Ashley Williams Shepard turned her brunette head toward the first Human Spectre, as she reached out to put a hand on his knee.

Jeremiah blinked. " Hm ? "

He turned his own head- shaved as always, though not as low as before- to face the athletically beautiful woman next to him.

" Something on your mind, Ash ? "

" Well ", she responded slowly, gently letting her shoulder touch his. " I can't help but notice that we've been out here for a while, watching everyone getting into the groove. How're you feeling ? "

Some might've taken that to be a moot question; the kind that implied that he _wasn't_. Or, maybe you'd realize she was actually sincere.

Fortunately, Jeremiah knew his wife. She understood him. She understood he'd lived a unique life, and without much normalcy in it- born in space on an Alliance ship, spent most of said life on one ship or another, then joining the Alliance itself as soon as he was of age-

It'd been, _eventful._ It was actually hard to remember when he'd been able to live for himself _without_ also having a lot on his metaphorical plate. As in, a _whole galaxy_ that needed to be saved, with all its untold billions upon billions.

Until now. With the Reapers beaten and dead, with them no longer around to he could _actually_ relax.

" To be honest ? Not so bad at all ", was Jeremiah's honest answer. He felt the corner of his mouth turn up a bit into a smile.

Not a wide one, but it counted.

Ashley soon smiled back.

" And, you're still being a wallflower, though. ", she jabbed.

Jeremiah thought about that for a second, then shrugged. " Touche ! But, come on: Its kind of nice to watch, sometimes. They don't need me to have fun. "

" That doesn't mean you wouldn't liven things up. "

Again, Jeremiah had to admit Ashley was right. If the first human Spectre walked into the middle of that bunch, he'd bring it to a halt. He could do that to a group of generals and admirals- and had, more than once.

And of course, the group across the pond weren't generals and admirals; they were _his_ crew. _His_ team

_If I wanted to. Actually, I _**do**_, but-_

_I will. Soon._

" I _like_ being out here. With you. ", he pointed out. " Besides, why haven't _you_ said anything about wandering over there ? "

Ashley's smug expression faltered for a moment at that. It was quick- going down in about half a second- but Jeremiah caught it.

It was as if she was nervous about something.

_Wait. Is something wrong ?_

He didn't say anything at first, but after a few seconds, he decided he had to:

" Ash ? Is everything ok ? "

Jeremiah became mildly concerned. He had not known Ashley to have had anything that was really bothering her on the inside; if that was true, he wanted to know about it.

_Of course she wouldn't want me to know. She thinks I have enough to handle as it is. Well, that doesn't matter. I'd _**make time**_ for her. Any day of the year_

" Ashley- ", he gently prodded. Somehow, if something was wrong, he hadn't noticed until now. Maybe he wasn't being attentive enough- and that was something he hated- or maybe Ashley was that good at hiding it.

Either way, he had to know.

" Its- wait, was I that obvious ? ", Ashley asked, after a moment's pause.

A light breeze kicked up,sending ripples across the pond, and bending the thinner branches of the trees.

" Well, yes ", Jeremiah told her. " Not to boast, but I actually understand how to read women's faces. "

It was a true enough statement, and watching Ashley visibly brighten a bit at it was definitely heartening.

" _Somewhat_, you can. ", she conceded. " Somewhat. "

" But, you're right. There- there is something. "

Now, Jeremiah really was both confused/worried. What could this be ? Too many unknowns.

Some icy adrenaline had leaked into his blood when he stated: " You've got an audience, Ashley. What do have to tell me ? "

" Its _good_ news, but- well, its the kind that's _so_ good, it makes you nervous ", Ashley explained.

" I got it today, and I've been putting it off for a while-but not anymore. "

Aware now that there wasn't anything to worry about, and that nothing had gone wrong, Jerimiah had relaxed- but now he was puzzled. In a good way, but still puzzled.

Possibilites were running thorugh his mind, but how did he know which one of them it was ?

Before he could ask anything out loud, though, Ashely reached out, took his hand, and put it on her belly.

She looked him right in the eye.

Jerimiah looked back at her the same way, and immediately saw how, _excited_ she suddenly seemed. It was all over her face, and especially her eyes. Like she'd been hiding it, but not anymore.

Out of all the possibilites running through his head, one of them suddenly jumped out to the front of his mind. His brows shot up. Cold adrenaline now began flooding his veins, and he couldn't think of what to say.

Then, seemingly on their own, the words came out:

" Ashley, are you- pregnant ? "

Jerimiah was terrified and elated all at once. It was so strange, feeling both at once. It was actually a bit overpowering.

More than a bit, actually. But, he somewhow knew that the latter would beat out the former-as soon as he got an answer.

And he did:

" Yes, " Ashley responded, with a shining smile.

" Yes, I am. "


End file.
